Friday, 30 April 2010

Koninginnedag (Queen's Day)

Mark Wagenbuur has made another marvellous video showing scenes of cycling in the Netherlands.

Ideal for Koninginnedag, or "Queens Day", which is a national holiday here in the Netherlands, and is today. The 30th of April. It's a great event, with lots of Orange everywhere, music, a free market...

Mark says "This time the cycling really takes place in Holland (which is in the west of the Netherlands). In North-Holland to be precise, in and around the city of Alkmaar.

Since it is all windmills, tulips and bicycles in this video a bit of corny music seemed fitting. 'Ik hou van Holland' (I love Holland) by 1950s child singer Heintje, a street organ and on the accordion. You can't really go much more Dutch than this..."

6 comments:

Before you say "but wasn't she born on..." I'll point out that May 24 was the birthday of Queen Victoria.

Ever since, every subsequent monarch has had his or her birthday celebrated on May 24. And if that day does not fall on a Monday (as it does this year)it will be moved to the nearest Monday to give everyone a long weekend.

@Kevin Love: April 30 isn't the actual Dutch Queen's birthday either. It's her mother's. Beatrix' birthday is January 31 when it would be too cold for outdoor festivities. And as her son's birthday is on April 27 I suppose Queen's, or in his case King's Birthday will continue to be on April 30 for the sake of convenience. That's how traditions are born.

I was born on April 30...I'm still wondering why we in Canada don't have a national holiday on this day :p

As for May 24, I'd hazard a guess that 99% of Canadians do NOT celebrate it as the Queen's birthday. Most call it May two-four, for a reason (case a 24 beer). It's usually considered the first long weekend of summer where the cottages open up and the heavy drinking begins.

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